FP grace period?

[Minnie368]

Is there still an official- or maybe unofficial- grace period for FP return times? I seem to remember 5 min early or 15 min late?

 

[Mickey92]

correct. Unofficially 5 minutes before and 15 minutes after FP window. Always at discretion of CM, though. So, never a sure thing.

 

[supersnoop]

correct. Unofficially 5 minutes before and 15 minutes after FP window. Always at discretion of CM, though. So, never a sure thing.

I wouldn't go that far. Unofficial, but controlled by the system and not at the discretion of the CM. The CM may have discretion beyond the listed thresholds.

 

[Minnie368]

Thanks for the info. We have an ADR and a close FP that shouldn't be an issue but you just never know...

 

[CAS239]

The 5 min before is not controlled by the CM. This is an official early period that you can enter. Once it hits 5 min before then you can enter.

 

[cwis]

Just to be pedantic, this is not “official” in the sense that Disney does not officially endorse this. This is a grace period that, many have found, is built into the system. Its one and only purpose is to allow for some kind of flexibility: if your watch is a few minutes ahead, if there is a meal that takes longer than expected, if there is an unexpected delay in your previous ride, than, you will, smoothly, be able to enjoy your FP+ without even needing for CM assistance.

Disney will probably never publicly endorse this, because if they would, they would need another set of “hidden” rules to allow for the unexpected.

While most of the educated readers of this board know these rules exist, you should not count on them. If you do, be prepared to have your FP dropped if there is any unexpected additional event. For example, if you schedule going to a FP+ attraction 10 minutes late, but there is a 6 minutes line before the FP+ entrance, you will be 16 minutes late, and the CM may forbid you from riding.

 

[mousehockey37]

You have an hour window. Plenty of time to be on time for your FP.